No smoking-pr-Schuilenberg
PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SMOKING BAN: AN OPPORTUNITY FOR LOCAL STATE REPS TO REPRIVE THEMSELVES FROM PAY RAISE SCANDAL October 2, 2006 Press Contact: (412) 589-1157 info@dave4council.net Pittsburgh, PA – As State Representatives are set to return to session and consider a bill amending the new state gambling law, a local city council candidate is publicly asking that they represent the wishes of their constituents, and amend the bill to remove a clause which would make casinos exempt from local smoking ordinances. Dave Schuilenburg, a democratic independent candidate running to fill Pittsburgh City Council District 1 seat, vacated by Luke Ravenstahl upon the tragic passing of Mayor Bob O’Connor, is publicly asking the county’s various State Representatives to respect the wishes of the people & the local officials they elected. “It is clear that this clause was added at the request of the casino owners, and the fact that this was done overnight without even consulting local legislators who worked hard on this for months, just underlines the lack of consideration that many of the current Harrisburg legislators have for their citizens wishes.” adds Schuilenburg, “This is basically tantamount to acting the exact same way they did with the pay raise, and considering how close some are coming to loosing their jobs November 7th for such, those who originally voted for the pay raise should seriously consider taking the lead on removing the clause as it passes through the House this week. In the case of some State Reps, such as the North Side’s Don Walko, who still refuses to pay the unvouchered expenses back, taking the lead could potentially giving themselves some vindicating ammunition to take back to the voters. It’s a no-brainer!” Some of the other local State Representatives who originally voted for the pay raise include William DeWeese-D, Paul Costa-D, Peter Daley-D, Frank Dermody-D, Dan Frankel-D, Frank LaGrotta-D, Victor Lescovitz-D, John Maher-R, Joseph Markosek-D, Mark Mustio-R, Thomas Petrone-D, Frank Pistella-D, Joseph Preston-d, Larry Roberts-D, Ken Ruffing-D, Tim Solobay-D, Tom Stevenson-R, Mike Veon-D, and Jake Wheatley-D. There is some common ground, however, on possible solutions to the Casino smoking ban exemption. “We are not necessarily asking the House to repeal the clause.” explains Schuilenburg. “One option which is increasing in popularity is exempting Pennsylvania 1st, 2nd & 3rd class cities from the casino exemption, which in effect would allow out-of-town race tracks to still allow smoking, while in-town casinos would still have to abide by the same local smoking ordinance as all other business owners in the city, hence creating an equal playing field.” “Here is their opportunity to come to bat for their constituents” says Schuilenburg, “and we hope that our State Reps will stand up to the casino owners and be the leaders they should be. It is in the best interests of all Allegheny County residents to contact those Reps and underline how important this issue is to them”. The issue comes at a crucial time, where both the Legislators are attempting to recover from a lack in credibility due to legislating themselves a pay raise, while the casino legislation has been scrutinized for being to open ended for the casino industry. “Allowing the casino owners to be exempt from health ordinances would be no different then inviting a high industrial polluter to come set up shop at the expense of the citizens health”, analogizes Schuilenburg. David Schuilenburg is a community activist and a 9-1-1 Dispatcher, and is running for a district which will most undoubtedly be among those to feel the social impact of the arrival of a new casino. Dealing with the smoking ban & the casino also touches on one of his 3-part platform entitled “Grant St Reform: Agenda Of Positive Change”. One aspect, which he intends to elaborate on further in the coming weeks, includes attempting to find equilibrium between commercial & residential development across the North Side. “We are not saying that we do not want the Casinos to come. All we are asking is that they respect our wishes as a constituency, and abide by the same rules the rest of us have to play by.” Media: For more information on the smoking ban exemption proposal, media outlets are invited to contact Dave Schuilenburg at (412) 589-1157 (M) or (412) 894-8743 (O). For more information about Dave Schuilenburg and the platform which will soon be elaborated on, all are invited to visit http://dave4council.net. Schuilenberg